Spindle drive mechanism



Aug. 25, 1936. H. z. COBB ET AL. 2,052,132

SPINDLE DRIVE MECHANISM Filed Nov. 26, 1952 HE 2. fl

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g j A E [4 Q 1 2/ (/7 E /7 INVENTORS Patented Aug. 25, 1936 PATENT OFFICE SPINDLE DRIVE MECHANISM Henry Z. Cobb, Providence, and Raymond S.

Francis, Rumford, R. 1., assignors, by mesne assignments, to United States Rubber Com- Pa y, Jersey New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Application November 26, 1932 serial No. 644,427

4 Claims. (o1. 192-58) This invention relates to a spindle drive mechanism, more particularly to a drive mechanism for the spindle of a winding or spooling device.

In the winding or spooling" of elastic yarns formed with an elastic core and a fibrous covering, more particularly with fine gauge yarns designed for knitting purposes, difiiculty has been had in suitably spooling or Winding the yarn prior to the knitting operation. It has been found that when elastic yarns are knitted, it is essential that the yarn be supplied to the knitting machine under little or no tension. By the drive mechanisms previously used in winding or spooling such yarns, it has been very difiicult to wind or spool the elastic yarn without placing it under a variable and excessive degree of tension, and when spools of yarns so wound have been used for knitting purposes, trouble has occurred in the knitting operation because, as before stated, it is essential that the yarn be supplied to the knitting machine with practically no tension.

An object of our invention is to provide an improved winding or spooling mechanism.

Another object is to provide an improved winding or spooling mechanism for winding a filament, and more particularly an elastic filament, without tension.

Still another object is to provide means for easily and accurately varying the amount of power applied to a spooling or winding spindle.

Other objects will appear from a perusal of the detailed specification and the drawing, in

which latter:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the lower portion of the winding mechanism;

Figure 2 is a part vertical section and part elevation of the upper part of the winding mechanism; and

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I designates a spindle frame in which the winding mechanism may be disposed. This mechanism comprises a main casing 2 having arched arms 3 which may be secured to the frame I by screws 4. Rotatably mounted in the main casing 2 is a hollow sleeve 5 which may be driven in any suitable manner, as by a drive pulley 6 at its upper end. The sleeve is mounted in upper and lower bearings I and 8 in the main casing 2, and the latter is provided with oil grooves 9 and II) for the bearings.

Slidably mounted in the rotatable sleeve 5 is a liquid reservoir II, which is held to turn with the sleeve by pins I2 in the sleeve engaging a vertical slot I3 in the outer wall of the reservoir II. In order to increase the frictional drag of the reservoir wall on liquid contained therein, the inner wall of the reservoir II is provided with inwardly projecting vertical ribs II. The reservoir II is supported on a ball thrust bearing I4 engaging its bottom, the bearing being carried by an adjusting screw I5 threadedly mounted in the nut I 5 carried by the bracket I1 secured to the bottom of casing 2. The adjusting screw I5 is held in adjusted position by means of the lock nut I8.

Carried by the arched arms 3 upon the main casing 2 is a bearing housing I9 in which are disposed a lower ball bearing 20 and an upper ball bearing 2|, and rotatably mounted in said bearings is a vertical spindle 22, to the lower end of which is secured a fiat rotor or paddle 23 of a width sufiicient to give a slight clearance between paddle 23 and the inwardly projecting ribs I I on the inner wall of the reservoir II. Attached to the spindle 22 is a spool driving flange 24 upon 5 which may be disposed a spool 25 on which the elastic yarn or other filament 26 is to be wound. The spool is frictionally held by the engagement of its ends 25 with the spindle 22, and by the engagement of its flange 25 with the driving flange 25.

In operation the reservoir I I is filled to the desired level with a suitable fluid, preferably mercury, but any other liquid having the desired characteristics may be used. Upon rotation of the sleeve 5 by the pulley 6, the reservoir I I carrying the mercury 21 is also rotated, and due to the frictional drag on the mercury by the ribs I I on the inner wall of the reservoir I I, the mercury is caused to rotate along with the reservoir II. In such rotation the mercury contacts with the rotor or paddle 23 carried by the spindle 22 and causes them to rotate, thereby rotating the spool 25 and winding thereon the elastic yarn 26 or other filament which is being handled.

By means of the adjusting screw I5, it will be seen that the rotating reservoir II may be held at any desired height and by varying this height and/or the quantity of mercury, the degree of immersion of the rotor or paddle 23 in the mercury may be varied, to thereby vary the power imparted to the spindle 22. Thus the driving power and degree of slip imparted to the spool may be very accurately determined. With fine elastic yarn to be used in a knitting machine, such accurate adjustment of the driving power is very desirable in order to insure that the winding takes place without placing the yarn under tension.

The device may also be used to wind bare rubber thread, and other uses will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is capable of numerous modifications and it is not desired to limit the invention otherwise than as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent 1. A spindle drive mechanism comprising a rotatable sleeve, means for rotatin the same, a reservoir for a driving liquid slidably mounted in said sleeve and fixed to rotate therewith, means for adjusting the reservoir in said sleeve, and a spindle having a driven portion extending into said reservoir and rotatable by frictional contact with rotating liquid in said reservoir.

2. A spindle drive mechanism comprising a casing having an upper spindle bearing and a lower sleeve bearing, a spindle in said upper bearing and a rotor suspended from said spindle, a sleeve in said lower bearing and means for rotating said sleeve, and a reservoir for a driving fiuid for said rotor vertically slidable in said sleeve but rotatable therewith, said reservoir being provided on its inner wall with means surrounding said rotor for frictionally engaging the driving fluid.

3. A spindle drive mechanism comprising a spindle, said spindle having a flat paddle depending therefrom, a reservoir for a driving fluid having inwardly projecting ribs on its inner wall and of a diameter to admit said paddle, a sleeve surrounding said reservoir and slidably but non-rotatably connected therewith, an adjustable support for said reservoir, a thrust bearing between said support and reservoir, and means for rotating said sleeve.

4. A spindle drive mechanism which is capable of transmitting a slight driving force to the spindle, comprising a driving member having a reservoir adjustably secured thereto and containing a driving liquid, a driven member connected to the spindle which it drives and suspended to dip into the liquid within said reservoir below the surface of the liquid whereby a 20 driving force is transmitted by the liquid from the rotating reservoir to said driven member and spindle, and means for adjusting said reservoir to thereby vary the depth to which said driven member dips into the driving liquid.

HENRY Z. COBB. RAYMOND S. FRANCIS. 

